Woman's Institute Library of Cookery
Chapter 82 : FOOD VALUE OF FISH 10. FACTORS DETERMINING FOOD VALUE.--The total food value of fish, a

FOOD VALUE OF FISH

10. FACTORS DETERMINING FOOD VALUE.--The total food value of fish, as has been shown, is high or low, varying with the food substances it contains. Therefore, since, weight for weight, the food value of fat is much higher than that of protein, it follows that the fish containing the most fat has the highest food value. Fat and protein, as is well known, do not serve the same function in the body, but each has its purpose and is valuable and necessary in the diet. Some varieties of fish contain fat that is strong in flavor, and from these the fat should be removed before cooking, especially if the flavor is disagreeable.

This procedure of course reduces the total food value of the fish, but it should be done if it increases the palatability.

11. RELATIVE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF FISH AND MEAT.--When fish and meat are compared, it will be observed that some kinds of fish have a higher food value than meat, particularly if the fish contains much fat and the meat is lean. When the average of each of these foods is compared, however, meat will be found to have a higher food value than fish. To show how fish compares with meat and fowl, the composition and food value of several varieties of each food are given in Table I, which is taken from a United States government bulletin.

TABLE I

COMPARISON OF COMPOSITION AND FOOD VALUE OF FISH AND MEAT

---------------------------------------------------------------- | Composition | Total |Food Value| |-------------------| Food | per Pound| Edible Portion | Protein | Fat | Value | Due to | |Per Cent.|Per Cent.|per Pound | Protein | | | | Calories | Calories | ---------------------------------------------------------------- _Fish_: | | | | | Ba.s.s, black........| 20.6 | 1.7 | 443 | 373 | Bluefish...........| 19.4 | 1.2 | 401 | 352 | Carp...............| 17.4 | 2.6 | 421 | 315 | Catfish............| 14.4 | 20.6 | 1,102 | 262 | Halibut steak......| 18.6 | 5.2 | 550 | 337 | Lake trout.........| 17.8 | 1.0 | 363 | 323 | Red snapper........| 19.2 | 1.0 | 389 | 348 | Salmon (canned)....| 21.8 | 12.1 | 888 | 396 | Whitefish..........| 22.9 | 6.5 | 680 | 415 | | | | | | _Meat_: | | | | | Beef, round, | | | | | medium fat.......| 20.3 | 13.6 | 895 | 368 | Chicken, broilers..| 21.5 | 2.5 | 492 | 390 | Fowl...............| 19.3 | 16.3 | 1,016 | 350 | Lamb, leg..........| 19.2 | 16.5 | 870 | 348 | Pork chops.........| 16.6 | 30.1 | 1,455 | 301 | ----------------------------------------------------------------

12. A study of this table will show that on the whole the percentage of protein in the various kinds of fish is as much as that in meat, while in a few instances, it is greater. This proves that so far as the quant.i.ty of protein is concerned, these two foods are equally valuable in their tissue-forming and tissue-building qualities. It will be seen also that the percentage of fat in fish varies greatly, some varieties containing more than meat, but most of them containing less.

Furthermore, the total food value per pound, in calories, is for the most part greater in meat than in fish, whereas the food value per pound due to protein is equivalent in most cases, but higher in some of the fish than in the meat.

13. It must also be remembered that the drying or preserving of fish does not in any way decrease its food value. In fact, pound for pound, dried fish, both smoked and salt, contains more nutritive value than fresh fish, because the water, which decreases the food value of fresh fish, is driven off in drying. However, when prepared for eating, dried fish in all probability has more food value than fresh fish, because water or moisture of some sort must be supplied in its preparation.

14. The method of preparing dried or preserved fish, as well as fresh fish, has much to do with the food value obtained from it. Just as nutritive value is lost in the cooking of meat by certain methods, so it may be lost in the preparation of fish if the proper methods are not applied. To obtain as much food value from fish as possible, the various points that are involved in its cookery must be thoroughly understood.

Certain facts concerning the buying of fish must also be kept in mind.

For instance, in canned fish, almost all the bones, skin, and other inedible parts, except the tails, heads, and fins of very small fish, have been removed before packing, indicating that practically all the material purchased is edible. In the case of fresh fish, a large percentage of what is bought must be wasted in preparation and in eating, the percentage of waste varying from 5 to 45 per cent.

15. DIGESTIBILITY OF FISH.--The food value of any food is an important item when its usefulness as a food is taken into account, but of equal importance is the manner in which the body uses the food; that is, whether it digests the food with ease or with difficulty. Therefore, when the value of fish as a food is to be determined, its digestibility must receive definite consideration. As has already been explained, much depends on the cooking of the food in question. On the whole, fish is found to be more easily digested than meat, with the exception perhaps of a few kinds or certain cuts. That physicians recognize this characteristic is evidenced by the fact that fish is often used in the feeding of invalids or sick people when meat is not permitted.

16. The ease with which fish is digested is influenced largely by the quant.i.ty of fat it contains, for this fat, acting in identically the same way as the fat of meat, has the effect of slowing the digestion that is carried on in the stomach. It follows, then, that with possibly one or two exceptions the kinds of fish most easily digested are those which are lean.

17. In addition to the correct cooking of fish and the presence of fat, a factor that largely influences the digestibility of this food is the length of the fibers of the flesh. It will be remembered that the parts of an animal having long fibers are tougher and less easily digested than those having short fibers. This applies with equal force in the case of fish. Its truth is evident when it is known that cod, a lean fish, is digested with greater difficulty than some of the fat fish because of the length and toughness of its fibers. This, however, is comparative, and it must not be thought that fish on the whole is digested with difficulty.

18. Another factor that influences the digestibility of fish is the salting of it. Whether fish is salted dry or in brine, the salt hardens the fibers and tissues. While the salt acts as a preservative in causing this hardening, it, at the same time, makes the fish preserved in this manner a little more difficult to digest. This slight difference need scarcely be considered so far as the normal adult is concerned, but in case of children or persons whose digestion is not entirely normal its effect is likely to be felt.

PURCHASE AND CARE OF FISH

TABLE II

NAMES, SEASONS, AND USES OF FRESH FISH

NAME OF FISH SEASON METHOD OF COOKERY Ba.s.s, black....... All the year........... Fried, baked Ba.s.s, sea......... All the year........... Baked, broiled, fried Ba.s.s, striped..... All the year........... Baked, broiled, fried Ba.s.s, lake........ June 1 to January 1.... Baked, broiled, fried Bluefish.......... May 1 to November 1.... Baked, broiled b.u.t.terfish........ October 1 to May 1..... Fried, sauted Carp.............. July 1 to November 1... Baked, broiled, fried Catfish........... All the year........... Fried, sauted Codfish........... All the year........... Boiled, fried, sauted, baked, broiled Eels.............. All the year........... Fried, boiled, baked Flounder.......... All the year........... Sauted, fried, baked Haddock........... All the year........... Steamed, boiled, fried Halibut........... All the year........... Boiled, fried, creamed Herring........... October 1 to May 1..... Sauted, fried, broiled Kingfish.......... May 1 to November 1.... Boiled, steamed, baked Mackerel.......... April 1 to October 1... Baked, broiled, boiled, fried Perch, fresh...... September 1 to June 1.. Fried, broiled water Pike, or.......... June 1 to January 1.... Fried, broiled, baked pickerel, fresh water Porgies, salt..... June 15 to October 15.. Fried, sauted water Red snapper....... October 1 to April 1... Boiled, steamed Salmon, Kennebec.. June 1 to October 1.... Broiled, baked, boiled Salmon, Oregon.... October 1 to June 1.... Broiled, baked, boiled Shad.............. January 1 to June 1.... Baked, broiled, fried Shad roe.......... January 1 to June 1.... Broiled, fried Sheepshead........ June 1 to September 15. Boiled, fried Smelts............ August 15 to April 15.. Fried, sauted Sole, English..... November 1 to May 1.... Baked, broiled, fried Sunfish........... May 1 to December 1.... Fried, sauted Trout, fresh...... April 1 to September 1. Baked, broiled, fried, water boiled, sauted Weakfish, or...... May 15 to October 15... Baked, broiled sea trout Whitebait......... May 1 to April 1....... Fried, sauted Whitefish,........ November 1 to March 1.. Baked, fried, sauted, fresh water broiled

19. PURCHASE OF FISH.--The housewife has much to do with the market price of fish and the varieties that are offered for sale, for these are governed by the demand created by her. The fisherman's catch depends on weather conditions, the season, and other uncertain factors. If the kinds of fish he secures are not what the housewife demands, they either will not be sent to market or will go begging on the market for want of purchasers. Such a state of affairs should not exist, and it would not if every housewife were to buy the kind of fish that is plentiful in her home market. So that she may become familiar with the varieties that the market affords, she should carefully study Tables II and III, which give the names, seasons, and uses of both fresh fish and salt and smoked fish. With the information given in these tables well in mind, she will be able not only to select the kind she wants, but to cooperate better with dealers.

TABLE III

NAMES, SEASONS, AND USES OF SALT AND SMOKED FISH

NAME OF FISH SEASON METHOD OF COOKERY

SALT FISH

Anchovies........ All the year.. Served as a relish, stuffed with various highly seasoned mixtures, used as flavor for sauce

Codfish, dried... All the year.. Creamed, b.a.l.l.s

Herring, pickled. All the year.. Sauted

Mackerel......... All the year.. Broiled, fried, sauted

Salmon, salt..... All the year.. Fried, broiled, boiled

SMOKED FISH

Haddock, or...... October 15 to. Broiled, baked, creamed finnan haddie April 1

Halibut.......... October 1 to.. Baked, broiled, fried April 1 Herring.......... All the year.. Served as a relish without cooking

Mackerel......... October 1 to.. Baked, boiled, fried November 1

Smoked salmon.... All the year.. Baked, boiled, fried

Shad............. October 1 to.. Baked, boiled, fried May 1

Sturgeon......... October 1 to.. Baked, boiled, fried May 1

Whitefish........ October 1 to.. Baked, boiled, fried May 1

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1]

20. Another point to be considered in the purchase of fish is the size.

Some fish, such as halibut and salmon, are so large that they must usually be cut into slices or steaks to permit the housewife to purchase the quant.i.ty she requires for immediate use. Other fish are of such size that one is sufficient for a meal, and others are so small that several must be purchased to meet the requirements. An idea or the difference in the size of fish can be gained from Figs. 1 and 2. The larger fish in Fig. 1 is a medium-sized whitefish and the smaller one is a smelt. Fish about the size of smelts lend themselves readily to frying and sauteing, whereas the larger kinds, like whitefish, may be prepared to better advantage by baking either with or without suitable stuffing. The larger fish in Fig. 2 is a carp and the smaller one is a pike. Much use is made of pike, but carp has been more shunned than sought after. However, when carp is properly cooked, it is a very palatable food, and, besides, it possesses high food value.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 3]

21. In the purchase of fish, the housewife, provided she is not obliged to have fish for a particular day, will do well also to get away from the one-day-a-week purchasing of fish; that is, if she is not obliged to serve fish on Friday, she should endeavor to serve it on some other day.

Even twice a week is not too often. If such a plan were followed out, fishermen would be able to market their catch when it is procured and the waste of fish or the necessity for keeping it until a particular day would be overcome.

22. Another way in which the housewife can help herself in the selection of fish is to become familiar with all the varieties of edible fish caught in or near her community. When she has done this, it will be a splendid plan for her to give those with which she is unfamiliar a trial. She will be surprised at the many excellent varieties that are obtained in her locality and consequently come to her fresher than fish that has to be s.h.i.+pped long distances.

23. FRESHNESS OF FISH.--In the purchase of fish, the housewife should not permit herself to be influenced by any prejudice she may have as to the name or the appearance of the fish. However, too much attention cannot be paid to its freshness.

Several tests can be applied to fish to determine whether or not it is fresh; therefore, when a housewife is in doubt, she should make an effort to apply them. Fish should not give off any offensive odor. The eyes should be bright and clear, not dull nor sunken. The gills should have a bright-red color, and there should be no blubber showing. The flesh should be so firm that no dent will be made when it is touched with the finger. Fish may also be tested for freshness by placing it in a pan of water; if it sinks, it may be known to be fresh, but if it floats it is not fit for use.

24. CARE OF FISH IN THE HOME.--If fish is purchased in good condition, and every effort should be made to see that it is, the responsibility of its care in the home until it is presented to the family as a cooked dish rests on the housewife. If, upon reaching the housewife, it has not been cleaned, it should be cleaned at once. In case it has been cleaned either by the fish dealer or the housewife and cannot be cooked at once, it should be looked over carefully, immediately washed in cold water, salted slightly inside and out, placed in a covered enamel or porcelain dish, and then put where it will keep as cold as possible. If a refrigerator is used, the fish should be put in the compartment from which odors cannot be carried to foods in the other compartments. In cold weather, an excellent plan is to put the fish out of doors instead of in the refrigerator, for there it will remain sufficiently cold without the use of ice. However, the best and safest way is to cook the fish at once, so that storing it for any length of time after its delivery will not be necessary.

Salt and smoked fish do not, of course, require the same care as fresh fish. However, as many of these varieties are strong in flavor, it is well to weaken their flavor before cooking them by soaking them or, if possible, by parboiling them.